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“Using a specific set of genetic markers, scientists predicted with 77-percent accuracy whether someone would live to a very old age. The findings do not mean that lifestyle factors, such as healthy diet and exercise, are not important for long life. Indeed, 23 percent of the time the genetic markers didn't predict longevity. So those long-lifers without the centenarian genes might have practiced healthy habits that allowed them to lead a longer life. But they do suggest our genes play an important role when it comes to living well past the average lifespan. With more research, one day people might be able to determine whether they have the genetic potential to become a centenarian. Additionally, learning more about how centenarians ward off diseases, including dementia, heart disease and cancer, well into their elder years, might help the rest of us delay disease. “I'm very hopeful that understanding how and why centenarians are able to do that will lead to strategies and therapies, including screening and figuring out who could be helped by whatever therapies [there] are down the road,” study researcher Tom Perls, of Boston University School of Medicine, said in a press briefing Wednesday about the study. ” http://www.livescience.com/health/longevity-genes-centenarians-100701.html added by: DeliaTheArtist